By Douglas V. Gibbs
In a discussion at the Center for American Progress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was asked about the Trump administration’s spending cuts, particularly those implemented after DOGE came into the picture. Schumer responded that Democrats plan to “restore most of the cuts and even go higher than previous years on many of the programs that DOGE slashed.”
The only federal funding they seem eager to reduce is anything that challenges their political narrative. Right now, the primary target is ICE. Hence the current government shutdown, driven by Democratic demands to slash DHS funding. If they had their way, they would dismantle ICE as we know it.
Their proposed restrictions on ICE are designed to halt deportations. They want to eliminate probable-cause administrative warrants and instead require immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants – while their allies occupy roughly 70% of federal judicial seats. They want ICE agents to de-mask and display their names on their uniforms, a move that would expose officers and their families to doxxing and targeted attacks. They want to bar immigration enforcement in so-called “sensitive locations,” which would bring apprehensions to a standstill.
They also call for an end to what they label as being “racial profiling.” In practice, this means forbidden ICE from operating in areas or industries where illegal immigration is most concentrated, effectively eliminating even more enforcement zones. They demand expanded congressional oversight, which would allow legislators to micro-manage executive authority and further blur the separation of powers, just as they have attempted through the courts. That oversight would almost certainly be weaponized to create opportunities for activist district attorneys to mass-litigate against federal agents.
Democrats also want federal agents to obtain consent from state and local officials before conducting large-scale operations. That requirement may apply to matters of state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment, but immigration is a federal responsibility. Article IV, Section 4 in the Constitution does not give states veto power over federal immigration enforcement unless they wish to use nullification, which would be illegal in this scenario since it is constitutionally clear that the federal government possesses immigration authority. They want ICE equipped only for “civil enforcement,” an unmistakable attempt to disarm the agency.
As a supposed sign of good faith, Democrats have also insisted that President Trump immediately fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
If granted their demands, Democrats would cripple the Trump administration’s ability to execute immigration law, or even conduct basic deportation operations. They know ICE is funded for the next four years under the Big Beautiful Bill that took effect January 1, and they are now working to unravel that law and obstruct the President’s agenda for the remainder of his term. They are willing to shut down as much of the federal government as necessary to achieve that goal.
That is why the Mid‑Term Elections carry so much constitutional weight. If Democrats seize even a single chamber of Congress, they will not only freeze the President’s Article II authority in place, they will weaponize their majority to pursue impeachment, bring his entire agenda to a dead stop, and nuke the Constitution’s call for a separation of powers – at least, until their guy is in the presidency.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
